Ganguly powers India into the final

Thursday 20 March 2003 20.42 EST
First published on Thursday 20 March 2003 20.42 EST

An overblown tournament involving 54 matches in 44 days, and more than enough political controversy, has at least got the final it deserved. If Australia inevitably retain the look of World Cup winners, to do it they will have to beat India - the side, more than any, with the vim and talent to unsettle them.

India won their right to play Australia at Wanderers on Sunday with a thumping 91-run win against Kenya under the Kingsmead floodlights last night, although the assembly of Bollywood stars who had flown in for the occasion had to concede that it was a one-sided script. India got the girl, the money, the song, whatever they desired; Kenya were whisked away by the cops.

Kenya were the first non-Test nation to reach the semi-finals, and forecasts of rain encouraged the thought that a downpour at the right time might just create chaos from which they could potentially benefit. But there turned out to be more drizzle on a Nigella Lawson lemon cake, and Kenya, their glory days behind them, were thoroughly outplayed.

With the World Cup trophy gleaming behind alongside the sightscreen, India did not have to look far to quicken their ambitions.

The skies were unremittingly grey, and much of the match was greyer, but the batting of Sourav Ganguly burned brightly. The Prince of Bengal had staved off an Indian disaster against Kenya under the Cape Town lights in the Super Sixes 13 days earlier, and last night his unbeaten 111 from 114 balls swept India to an impregnable 270 for four.

Ganguly cleared the ropes five times, making him comfortably the World Cup's biggest six-hitter. Even allowing for his quick bat-speed and healthy backswing, it remains a striking feat.

This slender-framed, little boy lost of a left-hander habitually blinks at the ball as if surprised that his contact lenses have suddenly shifted into focus. Yet Collins Obuya's first over of leg-spin twice disappeared on to the same Old Grandstand roof where Adam Gilchrist had dispatched him five days earlier.

There was a time Ganguly would only have considered a sharp single if borne by sedan chair. Now, with India's first World Cup final for 20 years beckoning, he responded to Sachin Tendulkar's pushes and deflections with relish, and even kept pace with the fleet-footed Mohammad Kaif, who eventually ran himself out trying to keep up.

Virender Sehwag had faltered after an opening stand of 74 during a solid spell from Peter Ongondo, but Ganguly's energetic leg-side smites enabled Tendulkar to continue with certainty, reaching 83 from 101 balls before his savage flat-bat at Steve Tikolo's long hop picked out David Obuya at deep midwicket.

Tendulkar, comfortably the batsman of the tournament, now has 669 runs at an aver age of 67 and his game possesses renewed desire.

Ganguly's final six brought up his hundred in the penultimate over, a stern-faced scythe at Martin Suji's full toss, but his achievement was not just his innings, his achievement is his team.

This is the elitist who has built a camaraderie that many had deemed impossible in the volatile world of Indian cricket. As soon as it became evident that the South African pitches would be slower than anticipated, they looked persuasive finalists.

Kenya's red and green suitably suggests the colours of artisans and a pitch on which their medium-pacers had laboured was enlivened the moment India's three fast bowlers took their turn.

India have arguably never possessed three fast bowlers performing as consistently as have the elder statesman, Javagal Srinath, and the two younger left-armers, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan, in the past six weeks. Had Ganguly not chosen to limit their activity, with Australia in mind, the margin would have been much greater.

It looked a mismatch from the outset, with only lightning in the distance unsettling the Indians. Ravindu Shah fell lbw to one from Zaheer that came back, Srinath nibbled one away from Kennedy Otieno to have him caught at the wicket, and Nehra, dashing where once he was inconsequential, twice defeated hook shots - exposing Kenya's desperate attempts to employ Peter Ongondo as a pinch-hitter as a nonsense.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Indian cricket board, appeared contentedly among the media, right on cue, to predict an Indian win in the final, but it was not a night to listen to administrators, it was a night to admire the players.